Latest news with #ScientificData
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make crucial breakthrough that could help protect food supply from emerging threats: 'Opens new possibilities'
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have completed a full genome sequence (like a detailed instruction manual for a living thing) of Aegilops mutica, which is a wild relative of wheat. By mapping the plant's genetic structure, scientists are finding information that can help wheat better withstand the changing climate, drought, and devastating plant diseases. Study leader Dr. Surbhi Grewal said the newly mapped genome "opens new possibilities for enhancing the resilience of modern wheat," per a summary published by The study, which was published in Scientific Data, could make a big difference for farmers and persistent issues of food insecurity, especially as global temperatures rise and the pressure on crops increases. According to the researchers, the project builds on more than a decade of work at the Nottingham Wheat Research Center. The team has been working to transfer traits like disease resistance and stress tolerance from wild species into wheat varieties that are still being grown today, using advanced technology to map the plant's DNA and find helpful genes. The varieties often have natural advantages that modern crops have lost through generations of selective breeding. The genetic resource comes at a really important time for farmers and for the planet. A report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned years ago that wheat yields could drop by up to 30% by 2050 if the changes in climate continue unchecked. In the U.S., UC Davis identified a gene that helps wheat plants grow longer roots, making them better able to survive drought and other tough growing conditions. Should the government be paying us to upgrade our homes? Definitely Depends on how much it costs Depends on what it's for No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. This is great news since unlocking more genetic diversity could speed up these efforts and help stabilize food production for millions of people. More resilient and healthier wheat crops could also mean less need for heavy pesticides and water use, which are two major sources of agricultural pollution output. Groups like the Rodale Institute and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program are talking about better farming practices that protect soil, reduce runoff, and build long-term food system resilience. Although it will still take time for the traits from Aegilops mutica to show up in wheat grown at large scale, researchers are still optimistic about the outcomes. Thanks to this new genome map, breeders now have a clearer path to creating wheat that's ready for any changing climate or extreme weather challenges that come up in the future. Supporting plant-based food options helps these farmers and organizations further secure our food production. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Daily Record
24-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Warning issued as deadly Victorian disease becoming antibiotic resistant
A stark warning has been issued after a deadly disease which crumbled ancient civilizations is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, it is reported. Typhoid fever still poses a significant threat in some countries, and is highly contagious so can spread to new parts of the world. More than 110,000 die from the disease every year, notably across Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, where sanitation and water quality are poor. But worryingly experts claim it is becoming antibiotic resistant posing a threat to people across the world, reports the Mirror . An international team of researchers recently wrote in the journal Scientific Data: "Despite advances in vaccination and treatment strategies, typhoid fever continues to affect millions annually, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality, and there continue to be large-scale outbreaks." Around nine million become ill from typhoid fever every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) understands. That is despite the misconception typhoid fever was merely a Victorian disease - although in this era, it did pose a significant threat. No section of society was spared – Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, contracted typhoid and died from it in 1861. In the US alone, there are now typically around 5,700 illnesses and 620 hospitalisations from typhoid each year. Most cases are linked to international travel, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Here, the NHS warns on its website the bacterial infection can spread throughout the body, affecting many organs, and there hundreds of confirmed infections each year. The website adds: "Most of these people become infected while visiting relatives in Bangladesh , India or Pakistan. But you're also at risk if you visit Asia, Africa or South America." The bacteria that cause typhoid fever, Salmonella Typhi, are developing resistance to antibiotics through genetic mutations, allowing them to survive even when exposed to drugs that would normally kill them. Researchers have examined strains in recent years to be able to confirm this. Jehan Zeb Khan, the clinical pharmacist at a clinic in northern Pakistan, told The Guardian: "Typhoid was once treatable with a set of pills and now ends up with patients in hospital." Once the bacteria enter the body, they typically cause a high fever, fatigue and stomach cramps within one to three weeks. Prompt antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent severe complications, like intestinal hemorrhage, organ failure and sepsis, and death. Students at University of Wisconsin–Madison were warned about the potential exposure to Salmonella Typhi in February after a campus café worker was diagnosed with typhoid. The warning comes after worrying new data released last month showed Tuberculosis (TB) "remains a serious public health issue in England." Experts said the " reemergence , re-establishment, and resurgence" of several illnesses was down to the return of social mixing and international travel following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Typhoid fever: Deadly Victorian disease becoming antibiotic resistant as dire warning issued
Typhoid fever is a particularly unpleasant bacterial infection that can spread throughout the body and, according to the NHS, the highly contagious disease be can be fatal A deadly disease which toppled ancient civilizations is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, it is reported. Typhoid fever still poses a significant threat in some countries, and is highly contagious so can spread to new parts of the world. More than 110,000 die from the disease every year, notably across Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, where sanitation and water quality are poor. But as it is becoming antibiotic resistant, experts have issued a dire warning. An international team of researchers recently wrote in the journal Scientific Data: "Despite advances in vaccination and treatment strategies, typhoid fever continues to affect millions annually, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality, and there continue to be large-scale outbreaks." Around nine million become ill from typhoid fever every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) understands. That is despite the misconception typhoid fever was merely a Victorian disease - although in this era, it did pose a significant threat. No section of society was spared – Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, contracted typhoid and died from it in 1861. Yet, in the US alone, there are now typically around 5,700 illnesses and 620 hospitalisations from typhoid each year. Most cases are linked to international travel, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Here, the NHS warns on its website the bacterial infection can spread throughout the body, affecting many organs, and there hundreds of confirmed infections each year. The website adds: "Most of these people become infected while visiting relatives in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan. But you're also at risk if you visit Asia, Africa or South America." The bacteria that cause typhoid fever, Salmonella Typhi, are developing resistance to antibiotics through genetic mutations, allowing them to survive even when exposed to drugs that would normally kill them. Researchers have examined strains in recent years to be able to confirm this. Jehan Zeb Khan, the clinical pharmacist at a clinic in northern Pakistan, told The Guardian: "Typhoid was once treatable with a set of pills and now ends up with patients in hospital." Once the bacteria enter the body, they typically cause a high fever, fatigue and stomach cramps within one to three weeks. Prompt antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent severe complications, like intestinal hemorrhage, organ failure and sepsis, and death. Students at University of Wisconsin–Madison were warned about the potential exposure to Salmonella Typhi in February after a campus café worker was diagnosed with typhoid. The warning comes after worrying new data released last month showed Tuberculosis (TB) "remains a serious public health issue in England." Experts said the "reemergence, re-establishment, and resurgence" of several illnesses was down to the return of social mixing and international travel following the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Health
- New York Post
This old-timey disease is actually still around — and it's becoming antibiotic-resistant
No, it's not a fever dream. A deadly disease that toppled ancient civilizations is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, posing a significant threat in certain parts of the world. 'Despite advances in vaccination and treatment strategies, typhoid fever continues to affect millions annually, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality, and there continue to be large-scale outbreaks,' an international team of researchers recently wrote in the journal Scientific Data. Advertisement 3 In this 1911 photo, an NYC health officer examines immigrant children during a typhoid fever scare. Bettmann Archive The World Health Organization estimates that about 9 million people become ill from the life-threatening bacterial infection and 110,000 people die from it annually. Typhoid fever is common in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, where sanitation and water quality are poor. Advertisement Roughly 5,700 illnesses and 620 hospitalizations from typhoid occur in the US each year, with most cases linked to international travel, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The University of Wisconsin at Madison reported in February that a campus cafe worker had typhoid, warning students of potential exposure to Salmonella Typhi. The bacteria are spread through contaminated food or water or contact with infected people. 3 Salmonella Typhi, the bacteria that cause typhoid fever, are shown here. Universal Images Group via Getty Images Advertisement Once the bacteria enter the body, they typically cause a high fever, fatigue and stomach cramps within one to three weeks. Prompt antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent severe complications, like intestinal hemorrhage, organ failure and sepsis, and death. The problem is that S. Typhi are developing resistance to antibiotics through genetic mutations, allowing them to survive even when exposed to drugs that would normally kill them. Advertisement Researchers sounded the alarm about the rise in drug-resistant (XDR) Typhi in 2022 after studying the strains contracted from 2014 to 2019 in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. 'Typhoid was once treatable with a set of pills and now ends up with patients in hospital,' Jehan Zeb Khan, the clinical pharmacist at a hospital in northern Pakistan, told The Guardian last fall. 3 Mary Mallon, famously known as 'Typhoid Mary,' was the first person in the US to be identified as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever. Bettmann Archive Pakistan has been grappling with drug-resistant typhoid since 2016, with the overuse of antibiotics a significant contributor. Antibiotic-resistant infections kill at least 1.2 million people worldwide each year. Other factors include limited access to clean water and sanitation and little public awareness of the disease. Experts recommend expanding access to typhoid immunization and funding new antibiotic research. 'XDR-typhoid is the final warning sign. After this we will enter a stage where the superbug won't respond to any drugs at all,' Khan said. 'That means we will go back to when typhoid was a more deadly disease. And that really worries us.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What's Beneath All That Ice In Antarctica? New Map Reveals The Hidden World And Possibly The Future
What comes to mind when you think of Antarctica? Probably snow and ice. But a group of international scientists are shaking up what we think we know about the continent after unveiling a new, very detailed map of everything beneath the millions of miles of ice. The map, called Bedmap3, gives a clear view of the towering mountains and deep canyons hidden by the ice sheets. It was compiled using more than 60 years of data from planes, satellites, ships and even sleds pulled by dogs. The British Antarctic Survey led the study and the results were published in the journal Scientific Data. As the name of the map implies, this is the third effort to illustrate Antarctica's rock bed. The project began in 2001, but the researchers involved say the new map represents a dramatic refinement using 82 million data points. That data includes recent surveys in East Antarctica, which helped fill big gaps in our collective knowledge of the region, including around the South Pole. One notable discovery is that Antarctica's thickest ice was found in an unnamed canyon in Wilkes Land. The ice there is more than 15,000 feet thick. Earlier maps placed the thickest ice in the Astrolabe Basin In Adelie Land. Here's why this new map is critical: It will help researchers figure out how Antarctica might respond to warming temperatures. "This is the fundamental information that underpins the computer models we use to investigate how the ice will flow across the continent as temperatures rise," said Dr. Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist at BAS and the study's lead author. "Imagine pouring syrup over a rock cake – all the lumps, all the bumps, will determine where the syrup goes and how fast. And so it is with Antarctica: some ridges will hold up the flowing ice; the hollows and smooth bits are where that ice could accelerate." So could this map also be a chilling look at Antarctica's future under a worst-case scenario? This group of scientists did not go that far, but they did discover that those ice sheets are thicker than once thought. Here's what Peter Fretwell, mapping specialist and co-author at BAS, says: "In general, it's become clear the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thicker than we originally realized and has a larger volume of ice that is grounded on a rock bed sitting below sea level. This puts the ice at greater risk of melting due to the incursion of warm ocean water that's occurring at the fringes of the continent. What Bedmap3 is showing us is that we have got a slightly more vulnerable Antarctica than we previously thought." MORE ON - Surprising Discovery Under Antarctic Ice Shelf - Your Area Could Be Next: Tornado Risk Is All Year - Top 10 Worst Cities For Allergy Sufferers
